


let it snow!

by giftedsun



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Christmas Shopping, During Canon, Established Relationship, F/F, Featuring, Kinda, and warm fires, canon doesnt rlly matter, chika is the worst joker, chocolate oranges, harold..., it's Christmas!, it's like. some universe where they stay with the kazunos for xmas, theyre in love baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-26 19:15:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17147546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giftedsun/pseuds/giftedsun
Summary: Riko has some last minute Christmas shopping to do, and Chika's more than happy to join her.





	let it snow!

The snow falls heavily in Hokkaido, falling in sheets as the breeze blows coldly. Visiting the Kazunos for Christmas was once of Chika’s more  _ sane _ ideas, and quite possibly the first that was received well by Dia. Dia, and most of Aqours, are wisely staying out of the cold, instead choosing to stay in with Seira and Leah. It’s Christmas Eve. The ideal prospect would be in the warmth, with friends and family and a warm fire.

Uncharacteristically, Riko’s gone against the grain, deciding to brave the cold. Winter always makes her thoughtful, and walking in the falling snow gives her time to contemplate.

Moreso, she hasn’t finished buying all her presents yet. 

It’s so cold; Riko almost wishes she had brought a much warmer coat. Almost— because as she pauses in her step, a bare hand comes up and grasps her gloved one. It really shouldn’t provide any comfort, but Riko feels warmth spread through her body. Not breaking her stride, Riko turns her head to look at who it is— but she doesn’t really need to. Only one other person would come with her in the freezing cold, only one could make her feel so warm so quickly— 

“Chika-chan,” Riko greets, pulling the other girl closer to her as they walk. “Sorry for walking so fast! I didn’t mean to leave you behind, I was just lost in thought…” 

Chika smiles back, warming Riko even more than the grip on her hand. “Don’t worry about it! I was thinking about some things too, that’s why I didn’t try to catch up with you.” Riko’s cheeks start to get a little pinker, spurred on by their close proximity, even though she’s the one who initiated it.

Almost six months with Chika, and the other girl still gets Riko flustered at any opportunity.

Of course, Chika’s been throwing Riko for a loop since they met. Though getting knocked into the ocean from behind by your now-girlfriend is a fun story to tell (though Riko will always answer “How did you two meet?” with “We were in the same class.” for years to come,) in the moment, it was just a scary surprise.

And as time’s gone by, the fear has been lost, while the surprise has just kept coming. From the first “Do you want to be a school idol?” onwards, Chika’s just kept hitting Riko with shock after shock, not giving her any moments to retaliate or recover. Building up Riko’s confidence would have never been an easy task, and being around the whirlwind that was Chika didn’t make it any easier. But Riko was bound to explode at one point and— 

“I love you,” She had said, putting all her emotions into the crisp summer morning. But with Chika’s warm hands in hers, Riko hadn’t felt afraid. And now, nearly six months later, the same hand grasped hers, and she felt just as safe.

A shoulder nudged Riko’s, and the redhead was pulled back into the present. Suddenly, she realized that she had paused in her walk, and had been standing in the snowfall for what had probably been a few minutes. The heavy flakes had gathered in her hair, and a few were melting down her white coat.

“Ah, Chika, I’m sorry!” 

But Chika just smiled at her. “Don’t worry, Riko.” The girl shakes her head, sending snowflakes sprawling in the air. At the same time, Chika reaches for Riko’s other hand, leaving them in the same position they had been six months prior.

“Just so you know, I love you.” Riko squeezes her girlfriend’s hands tighter. “Maybe I don’t say it enough but, y’know… It’s almost been six months. and I love you. I really do.”

Riko expects a hug for her hearfelt proclamation. Maybe even a kiss. Possibly even an “I love you.” back. Instead, all she gets is the loss of warmth as Chika lets go of her hands and throws her arms wide.

“Aw, I knew I was forgetting something!” Chika spins in a circle. “Six months? Six months already? That’s important, I can’t believe I forgot!” 

“You still have time…”

“But I should remember! Ah, I’m the worst girlfriend!”

“No, you aren’t…. unless you leave me hanging for much longer.” Riko giggles a little, letting out a puff of air. 

“Hanging…?” Chika scrunches her eyebrows in confusion. Riko raises her own. A lightbulb practically goes off above her head. “Oh! Riko-chan, I love you too!” 

As if to make up for her fallacy, Chika leans in to plant a kiss on her girlfriend’s cheek.

“That can’t be all.” Riko grins as Chika pulls away. “After all, it is nearly Christmas.” 

At Chika’s confusion, Riko simply laughs and leans in, capturing the lips of the other girl. It’s quick, and chaste, as Riko’s acutely aware of the fact that they’re still in the middle of the street. Still, Riko feels the warmth spread through her once again.

“C’mon, Chika, we’ll keep going.”

Chika hums happily, and the two continue to walk, hand-in-hand, until they reach the store Riko was looking for. 

The store is small, but warm, and Riko’s surprised by how cold she actually was. Chika’s touch warmed her to the point that she was numb to how her body was actually feeling. The thought makes her stupidly giggly, and it stays with her as she splits from Chika to walk around the store.

She hasn’t bought anything for Dia or Mari yet, but really, Riko wants to find something else for Chika. Already, she’s purchased the newest set of μ’s solo albums, but she feels like something more is in order. It’s their first big anniversary, and their first real holiday together. 

What do you buy for your best friend, who also happens to be your girlfriend?

A quick walk around the store finds a nice scarf for Dia, and a cute stuffed penguin for Mari. And still, nothing for Chika. Riko tries to peek at the jewelry, but as soon as she starts to look at the case, she spots a pair of magenta eyes peering back at her. Riko walks toward her girlfriend, tucking her arms around Chika’s waist.

“Chikacchi,” Riko teases.

“Yes, my Riko-chan?” 

“What do you want for Christmas?”

Chika smiles. “All I want for Christmas, Riko-chan,” A finger reaches out to poke Riko’s nose. “Is you!”

Riko sighs and pushes Chika away. “You’re no good.”

Another fifteen minutes passes before Riko admits defeat, buying the scarf and the penguin. Chika buys something too, but Riko doesn’t see what it is. 

At the next store, Riko finds a few things that suit Chika. Nothing is perfect, just generally suited to the other girl— things patterned with oranges, shirts with random English words on the front. But nothing perfect. And Chika deserves perfect. 

After walking a bit more, hands still firmly clasped together, they come to a clearing. In it stand several booths, each holding a vendor boasting different types of handmade goods. The pair splits up, each girl wandering to different sides of the vendors.

Riko finds cute things for most of her friends, even picking up orange-flavored fudge for Chika. It’s not the perfect present, but it’ll have to do for now. Riko resigns herself to just finding something better in the coming weeks.

That is, until she reaches one of the last booths in the market. The seller has all types of flowers in her booth, gorgeous bouquets adorning every edge of her space. It’s something smaller that catches her eye, however.

They’re little, tiny, terrarium necklaces, teardrop-shaped charms filled with flowers. They come in all sorts of color combinations, but there’s one that’s perfect. The tiniest sakura petals sit inside of it, adorning the similarly tiny orange flowers that Riko doesn’t know the name of. It’s gorgeous. It’s them, it’s Chika and Riko, and it’s perfect. 

The vendor smiles knowingly when Riko buys it, and Riko slips it into her pocket quietly as she goes to meet up with Chika again. “I’m good, Chika-chan. I bought everything.”

Chika beams. “Great, me too! Let’s head back. Dia-chan might be getting worried by now.”

“Maybe not— she seemed to be getting pretty close to Seira-san when we left.” 

Chika laughs, filling Riko’s ears with something akin to jingle bells. 

Indeed, when they get back, Seira and Dia seem nestled pretty close, although Dia immediately gets up to fuss over the two of them, pushing Riko to sit next to the fire. 

Riko doesn’t mind the fuss, however. She feels light, and free, and happy, like she never has before. With Chika tucked into her side, and her friends laughing all around her, and the promise of presents the next day, she’s never felt more open or lighthearted. 

As she drifts off in the warmth, Riko feels a kiss on her forehead, and a, “Love you, Riko-chan.”

She can’t tell if it comes out of her mouth or not, whether its in her head or her mouth, but Riko knows in her heart that it's true.

“I love you too, Chika-chan.”

**Author's Note:**

> merry christmas! thanks for reading + don't be afraid to leave a comment or kudos-- it is christmas after all, LOL. all i need for christmas is chikariko.. .. . . .. . . .  
> i imagined chika's gift to look like this! (https://www.etsy.com/listing/491764819/november-birthday-birthstone-necklace)


End file.
